headaches every day for the past year.

Hi, I'm Ryan. A little back ground is im 21 and in the us army.Been deployed twice to iraq. this may sound like im on dating website but im hoping to give someone that may have an idea of whats wrong some info to take into concederation. On to my problem before i joined the military i was perfectly fine 20/20 vision and in the greatest shape at that point of my life also really full of energy and always in a good mood. it all started about halfway through my first tour in iraq i started to expeirence bad pains in my neck and back. My first thought great i have tight or pulled muscles. Well then it went to the feeling of not pulled but someone smacked me with a baseball back right on the back of my neck bone of itself. so since that day two years ago its grown from my neck and back hurting to my neck and back still have that bruised sensation and now my neck and back burn almost daily not to mention i have headaches daily now that sit right in my temples and run across the sides of my head right down to the back of my neck. with my headaches it also feels as though someone put a airbag in my head and pumped it up. I have pressure in my entire head area that stretchs to my face and pressure and tenderness behind my eyes. also after getting back from iraq like i said i was 20/20 vision sharp as a eagle and now i have 40/20 which with the vision problems makes it hard to concentrate on stuff. Also excerise makes my dizziness and pain in my areas i have mentioned worse. I have all these symptoms daily the question is how bad they are when i go to wake up. I have tryed chiropractors with some relief the day of being worked on but after waking up the next day im am just as bad. Ive tryed several pain killers and over the counter relief medication as big as ibuprofen 800mg's. Ive seen a couple army doctors but thats the problem there army doctors so they either tell me all this crap is in my head or they through 800mg ibuprofen that does nothing for me. All this has effected my life in so many ways that im loosing interest in things i use to love because im dealing with pain everysingle day with no sign of relief. Being in the army theres not much i can do for seeing other doctors so if anyone has insight on things or techniques that worked to relief symptoms it would be greatly appreciated!!!!
RYAN!!!

BTW, a good place to start would be with your GP and a neurologist. From there you can be referred out to other specialists as needed.

alright thanks, ive been looking not just for answers but for someone to take me serious so it means a lot to not just have some look at you like you are crazy but actually have some ideas of what maybe wrong. A lot of my symptoms didnt come all at once its all kinda just piled up over the past 2 years. With my eye sight i first noticed the change in my vision sitting in the chow haul i looked at a neon sign thinking well that sign is pretty big and for some reason i can read, but i started to think ok maybe its just the bright colors coming off of it. so i looked over at the tv on the wall and ive never had trouble reading from a distance and i couldnt make out anything on the tv with my left eye. So about 8 months later its moved from blurred or out of focused vision to pressure and tenderness. A lot of the times ill get almost the star effect in my vision where its like you stand up to fast but ill get it for no reason. Also when i close my eyes to lay down and close my eyes i get this sensation in my eyes of pulses almost in sync with my heart beat that flash dim almost like a hold computer monitor or tv. but its very faint. im pretty sure that the reason why there is so much wrong with me is i let what started off as something small over the years just go or i have more than one thing wrong with me. I dont know its all just really fustrating to me, ive researched and researched for the past year. With some of my symptoms i found it could be anywhere from lymes disease to a severe bacterial sinus infection. I tryed doing the self check on web med but every symptom they give you is given for that one symptom instead of combining the symptoms to find a cause. So i feel like I'm wasting my time looking for answers. Once again thank you a lot and it means a lot for someone to share there ideas and knowledge with me.

Web research is difficult, because the symptoms of so many conditions overlap. You really need to see an experienced physician (or group of physicians), who can tweeze apart the symptoms, run tests and perform a differential diagnosis.

It's very interesting that the chiropractic treatments helped, even for a short time. That means your chiropractor was doing something to your spine that temporarily "corrected" at least part of your problem. I don't know what it would be. If I had to throw out a guess, I might guess your cerebrospinal fluid pressure is high or low. But again this is a wild guess, I am not a doctor and this is probably way off.

If I were in your shoes I would try to see a team of doctors. I would start out by seeing a GP and getting a referral to a neurologist and sports medicine physician. I would push to get a CT of your back and neck (maybe even a full body MRI). Probably a lumbar puncture too (if your physician doesn't believe that you have any conditions that would make it dangerous). The GP may have some ideas of what it could be and will be able to at least order blood tests to rule out viral/bacterial infections. The neurologist will be good for the nerve pain and hopefully the sports medicine physician will be able to figure out what is going on in your back and neck (where everything started).

If they can't figure it out still,don't give up. I would then move onto a pain management specialist, infectious disease specialist and/or a neuro-opthomologist. Many of us have had to fight to get our diagnosis. Be a strong self-advocate.

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. You have so many symptoms and it will take physicians from different disciplines to get to the bottom of this.

Don't let doctors tell you you're crazy. You're not. It's just a complicated case that most have never seen before.

Spector5

Last five / six months of my life have been destroyed due to migraines, it started off with very small signs (dizziness / faint etc) then eventually to pains in my body then none stop migraines on a daily basis.

At this point it has turned into a nightmare I constantly think "whats wrong with me" I get horrific anxiety which only makes matters worse.

You need an MRI of your Brain and Neck you also need an MRA, I hope you have coverage as it gets costly. However it rules out so much,

In the meantime try to get your blood-pressure / sugar levels checked, watch out how much over-counter meds you take as it only makes the rebounds keep coming on an hourly basis.

ps. I went from being exceptionally athletic / fit to literally a sack of garbage, migraines / anxiety are a really bad mix

The Captain might be onto something with regard to having too much weight on your back. That said, it's certainly not the whole picture. Other people are huffing the same weight and not having the same level of pain issues. The weight is probably exacerbating an underlying problem.

800 mg ibuprofen is good for a bit of a headache, not for the kind of pain your experiencing. I would ask for indocin (it's stronger than ibuprofen). You can also ask for an (single) injection of Toradol. I guarantee you, that request will get her attention and maybe kick your pain on it's 6 for a day or two. If you do get the Toradol, be sure to keep properly hydrated.

Cervicogenic Headache still seams to be the best fit of your symptoms. Like I said before though, the change in eyesight is throwing me.

Here is a review article that you can show the captain. Ask her to read it and then run through the manual tests that they recommend.

http://www.jaoa.org/cgi/content/full/105/4_suppl/16S

It's not optimal, but it's not a bad thing to do until you can get to your GP.

If the captain does make the diagnosis, a combination of meds and physical therapy should help.

Keep pushing ahead!

Hi Ryan,

Hoping and praying that you find the medical help you need and deserve.

Although, what you are going through is much worse than my pain...I do know that after talking with my neuro...if we experience a trauma to our back or neck...even something slight...it may take years to show up and cause havoc.

Not much I can add...except to say thank you for your courage and doing your part to keep us safe. God Bless you.

I am a Viet Nam vet and spent 8 yrs in the Army so I can relate to the merry go round as far as medical treatment goes.  But push and push hard to see specialists....take Evil's advice..it has helped me to push back and not take stupid answers from the doctors. THANKS EVIL!!!!

I wish you luck Ryan, I really do.

I can not express my gratitude enough to you for doing your part to keep us safe.  Too many people take so much for granted and never stop to think what it must be like to be in a war zone, far away from home.  

  

God Speed and I hope you can find some medical professionals to treat your condition and give you your life back!.

Regards from Jim in Jacksonville FL.